OCEAN WILDLIFE of HAWAII

Thar she blows...
This whale "blew" right next to the boat giving everyone a nice shower.

Bottle-Nosed Dolphin surfing alongside our boat.

Beginning of a "Fluke Up" dive

The one that got away. This happens to photographers as well as fishermen!

A "Fluke Up" dive

A whale's tail rising vertically out of the water.

This whale appeared to be "standing" on its head with the tail held high out of the water. In this instance, no "Tail Slap" ocurred.

"Flying Whale"
The amazing sight when a 45 foot long, 80 thousand pound whale breaches. This one nearly hurled its entire body out of the water.

"Whale Race"
Two members of a competion pod swimming fast on the surface.

"Who's out there?"
During a fast swim along the surface this whale suddenly performed what is called a "Spy Hop", apparently to get a better view of the surroundings.

Whale sinking back into the water after doing a "Spy Hop".

Starting a fluke-up dive

View near the entrance to Lahaina Harbor where a sailboat foundered on the reef during a storm several years ago.

One whale lies on it's side with its pectoral fin raised in the air while another in the foreground does a "Peduncle Arch" in the process of diving deep.

"Fluke Up Dive"
Note the barnacles on the left edge of the Fluke. Each Whale has unique color patterns on his or her fluke, making them identifiable just like a fingerprint.

Gliding down below the surface

Mother on her side with pectoral fin pointing up while calf glides by in the foreground.

In this image you can see the white underside of the whale's head.

Coming up near the surface for a better view.

Top of a whale's head raised next to the boat. Note the tubercles which are unique to Humpback Whales and thought to be some sort of sensor.

Adult Humpback swims by the boat. Note the dual blow holes.

"Battle Scars"
The lower jaw of a male Humpback's head after a recent battle with another whale. This is evidenced by the damaged barnacles and the bloody cut on the left.

Humpback surfacing and rolling on it's side. In this image you can see the dual blow holes.

Humpback rolling onto it's side near the boat.

Two whales poke their noses out of the water next to our boat. They were simply hanging around apparently being curious about us. On the other hand, they could have been completely oblivious to us... Whale behavior is mostly guesswork based on limited observation of their activities under water.